Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is open, offering classes and registering students for a line-up of mini-semester and hybrid course offerings that start this fall.

While the construction at the North Campus may seem daunting, the college is very enthusiastic about the changes and unwavering in their commitment to continue providing course offerings to the community.

Thanks to hybrid course offerings, the college has four-week classes available offering three credits. Four-week hybrid classes begin Sept. 24, eight-week classes begin Oct. 19, and the last set of four-week classes begin Nov. 3.

The hybrid format allows students to do some work independently at their convenience outside of the classroom and optimizes their time on campus.

“Judging from the courses’ popularity, our students find that hybrid options provide the best of both worlds,” said Dr. Michael Quillen, vice president of academic programs. “You still get the face-to-face interaction that helps many students fully learn, but students have the flexibility to do some of the coursework outside of the classroom. Students can adjust their busy schedules to do this work when it is most convenient for them.”

However, for students who prefer a completely traditional class, the college’s eight-week mini-semester classes are often in-person and simply condensed into half the time.

The mini-semester includes courses such as expository writing, introduction to computers, argument-based research, Western civilization, advanced Word/information processing, psychology and sociology, which can count toward their required coursework.

“The great thing about the mini-semester is that it gives students the opportunity to earn full course credits in half the time,” said Dr. Elaine Spalding, president of RCCC. “Between the mini-semester and our continuing education classes that are provided on a rotating basis year-round, students can enroll in courses at any time to get the education they need.”

“We are doing our very best to bring education to the students. It’s our ‘meet them where they are philosophy,’ ” said Spalding. “While it’s not possible for every program, our overarching goal is to be available and accessible to students. That’s why our students can now earn several degrees entirely online.”

Rowan-Cabarrus credits cost $72 per credit hour. Students may apply online at www.rccc.edu/apply2015.